Hyundai Sonata Maintenance and Repair

Comments

- Does the 06-07 Sonata 4 cycl have the ccvt (?) type of automatic transmission. Can anyone explain to a novice car guy what the new transmission is all about and what it does differantly from the older automatic 4 banger

- Does it adapt to driving condtions, drivers habits etc ? Also is there any real "sport " in the SE model that makes it worth the extra bucks ?

How has the mpg been with the new 162hp four ? With the 2002 base with a 2.7L V6 I'm only getting 17-18 mpg average, I live in a metropolitan area near Phila with freeway driving 50%/ speeds averaging 60-65 and stop/start on the local highways/streets. I don't have a heavy foot except to get around day dreamers hogging the passing lanes.

Are the new controls for climate control/stereo on the steering wheel/dash designed better for adjusting while driving ? Whats the verdict on the base stereo system (excluding the Infinity available on the Limited)

How would you rate the cloth interior for durability, when I got the 2002 base model the cloth was really thin on the seating, which you don't really notice until you have had the car for awhile.

Did anyone buy a sonata with the deep metallic blue color....,what a beautiful finish in my opinion. and has the finish held up esp if you live in the northeast US with hard winters/snow/sleet/road chemicals.

Does anyone wish they had the leather interior after getting the premium cloth style ? What does everyone think of the new body style starting with the 2006 model.I am leaning towards buying the 06/07 but to be honest the Fusion is one sedan that seems to break the mold of the bland styling so many mainstream sedans have but then again it is a ford product with a short 3 yr/36,000 mile warrenty so how good can it really be ?

I know I've asked a lot but I usually keep a car five to six years. Thanking everyone in advance for their info !

Okay, you know what people, calm down. I don't know what qualifications your dealer service personnel have or what the ir attitude is, I don't know why your regular "mechanic" says there are 3 timing belts...there is no such thing on any car, even race cars. Does not exist. There is 1 and only 1 timing belt on your engine. Someone is jerking your proverbial chain. In addition, as tagettuning has stated, most engines with timing belts, Hyundai included, are what are called interference designed engines...tolerances are extremely close internally and there is absolutely no question that internal engine damage will occur when the belt breaks...it sounds like you are getting lots of bad info. By the way, as I have stated in a number of posts, I put 332,300 miles on my 03 Sonata V6 without any major problems; before getting my 07. The 03 was the same as your 02. Hope this helps to reinforce that you really need to seek out a really well qualified service department/shop. :shades:

The '06-08 4-cylinder Sonata has a conventional 4-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC, that is, you can manually shift up and down the gear range. Maybe you are confusing the CVVT engine in the Sonata with the transmission. The transmission is adaptive in that it is computer-controlled and will adjust its shift points to match driving behavior. So if you drive gently, it will shift sooner. If you drive it hard, it will rev higher before shifting.

"Sport" in the SE is 17" alloys and, for 2008, a rear spoiler. That's about it. For 2007, you also get a V6 with the SE. For 2008 you can get either the I4 or V6 on the SE.

I am not aware of any climate controls on the Sonata's steering wheel. There's cruise and audio controls. Some of the audio controls are hidden from view, so you'd have to find them by feel (which I expect would be easy after you're used to them). I've found the base stereo adequate. Of course now it includes XM radio too.

The 2008 GLS has a new cloth in the interior. It reminds me of the cloth in the Azera SE. It feels durable enough, but I've only driven the Sonata as rentals so I have no idea how it holds up. I've never seen any wear on the interiors of the rentals I've driven (2006-2008 years).

I think the Fusion is a pretty nice car, although I prefer the styling of the Milan. Definitely compare the Fusion to the Sonata. Also you might want to drive the Optima, which has the same engine as the I4 Sonata but has a 5-speed automatic and IMO a nicer interior. The Optima has the same warranty as the Sonata.

I have two minor defects in my new 2007.5 Hyundai Sonata GLS 4-cylinder with the XM radio. I hope mines is not a lemon. The recirculating A/C buton gets stuck inside and does not release out and the dashboard has the rattle sound inside if turning the steering wheel to the left and drive only one mile speed. Anybody experiencing these issues? Mines is one of the first 4-cylinder Sonatas to be assembled in USA than in South Korea, so maybe that explains why. :confuse: I will head to the dealer soon.

They all are built in Birmingham now. Initially, just the 6 cyl were built in the USA. Later on, the 4 cyl were added to the Birmingham plant. I don't know the date when they started making the 4 cyl in Birmingham. I thought it was before the 4 cyl with XM was introduced.

That review has been removed. As bhmr59 noted, the claims it was making about warranty requirements are patently false, so I reported it and that was the end of that.

FYI, there is a "report this review" (or some such wording) button under each review that everyone should consider using if a review strikes you as being inappropriate for whatever reason. This will trigger an examination of the review in question and if it really does appear to be inappropriate, it will be removed.

Been a while since ive been on..... Just to set the record straight....Targetuning...the highrest price ive ever seen advertised for a timing belt was 249.00 And just to let you know, last week i had a mechanic replace the timing belt, with water pump, tensioners etc.on my daughters Metro...4 cyl not 3...i bought the parts from Autozone.. brought them to the mechanic and he charged me 70.00 dollars labor..the parts were around 80.00 It pays to know how to shop, some do it better than others for car repairs...caaz

p.s. 149.00 is the highest ive ever paid for a timing belt replacement on any car. rates are competetive here in So Cal.....you just have to shop..some people buy thier shoes at Nordstroms for 250.00 others buy the same shoes at the nordstroms rack,,,for 100.00... same company...same shoe...smarter shopper

This does not specifically pertain to sonatas, but my new 07 platinum front tires always looks a little flat to the naked eye. Rear ones do not. Cold pressures are ~31-33 in the front, and ~33-35 in the rears. Recommended is 30 on all four tires. Is this a concern?? Any opinion is appreciated for this sophomoric car owner.

Sheer physical weight distribution is the problem! Being a FWD, more weight is on the front tires, about 60% to the front vs about 40% to the rear.

The lower pressure in your front tires will also add to the more flatness in those tires. I keep the tire pressure at about 33lbs at all 4 tires in my 2007 Limited. Recommended is 30 - a bit higher would give slightly more mpg due to reduced rolling resistance at the expense of a slightly harsher ride.

I do not see the logic of having different tire pressures at frnot vs rear. With lower pressure, the front tires should have more traction(and more wear due to increased rolling resistance)than the rear - if big enough, this difference can result in an unsafe driving situation.

I have a sonata 2005 and this morning as i left for work went around the corner and car lost power as i tried to accelerate.then it caught and I drove to work just fine..what is up with it ? It has less then 19,000 miles on it...Thanks for any insight Linda

OK I concede that labor rates...complexity of the vehicle being worked on...competence of the mechanic....is this a high school student taking an auto repair course "moonlighting/practicing" on your car or a certified tech? There are quite a few variables but "for the record" I JUST had the timing belt, water pump, tensioners,belt tensioner, cam and crank shaft seals replaced on my 1995 Dodge Stratus ES with 2.5 liter V-6. I purchased the parts and my regular Dodge dealer did the work and the job was a bit over $600.00 including the $135.00 or so I spent for the belt tensioner only available as a Dodge part but NOT including the other parts I brought in. I would guess the V-6 crammed into the Stratus was quite a bit harder to work on than a Geo Metro (time is indeed money). So the simpler the car the less involved and the cheaper the price. Not only does it pay to shop around (which I do when buying shoes) but it may also pay to drive a simple,uncomplicated,small engined car. Additionally, I do not pick the person doing my car repairs by shopping around for the cheapest price like I'm buying ah, shoes but instead tend to deal with one or two dealers/mechanics I have built a trust with over years or even decades. In summary: timing belts like everything else are priced according to vehicle complexity and I doubt a shop can post a "one size fits all" price for this.

Comments:1. No,the clutch disc (with friction material) being a "wear-out" item like brake pads and wiper blades are not typically covered under the warranty. That said the clutch absolutely should NOT have failed at 5400 miles. So, it may be that some other part of the clutch/manual transmission system failed. If the clutch DID fail I would say you should be able to point out to your dealer that given the mileage there is no way you should have had this problem and perhaps they should consider replacing it for good will if nothing else. I am assuming you do not do smokey burn-outs at every stop sign and traffic light. Whatever else this is an abnormal occurrance and it should be taken as a defect by the dealer who should replace the clutch and while removing/replacing it find the reason it happened and eliminate it. You will be happy and Hyundai may find out the reason for an early clutch failure Win win.

The thing to remember is that you are running a low profile (55 aspect ratio)radial tire an d the side walls are only about 4"tall so the tires may always look low on air. Another thing, since the tire sidewall acts as a shock absorber, you may experience a firmer ride on these tires.

Thanks to those who gave some feed back.....My husband made some call's and the conc-senus was we might have gotton some water in the gas we had put in so were advised to use Lucas fuel treatment...so he bought a bottle and put it in..so far so good ..nice to have a forum of just Hyundai people...Take care!

Thanks so do I! We even had the codes checked and all was clear..they can't fix it unless it throws a code..well duh..I don't do well with :sick: cars.. :shades: ..I won't be a stranger..hubby is always wanting to know about the car and he has tricked it out some..actually we are old Mopar people ..

I have the same exact car.2000 GLS v-6 and less than two years ago I had my transmission replaced because it was stalling and downshifting each time I tried to accelerate the car..

It was under warranty then...and now 20,000 miles later it is doing the same exact thing.when ammco worked on it before, they were convinced it was not a transmission problem.. soo if its just the engine sensor giving feedback, who can detect this and where should i go to figure out if thats the problem??

this doesnt occur everytime i drive the car... sometimes it is smooth,running normal,and sometimes it is hesitant and downshifting..

My car is 2006 Sonata GLS v6.Last Tuesday, I took my car into the Hyundai service due to clucking noise from the engine when I start the engine. :sick:

They said that my car needed to replace the timing chain tensioner. And I got my car back today. I believe the clucking noise is gone. But I can hear more annoying noise, grinding metal sound. I can't hear it when I go fast. But when I go slow, I can definitelyhear the grinding metal sound from the engine. I'm not sure it is because I just replace the tensioner and it will be gone in few days, or it is something wrong. Any comment will be appreciated. :mad:

the clutch is a wear item. The life of it varies with the cars driving habits. I have seen hyundai clutches last 120,000 plus miles and I've seen clutches only last 3,000 miles. Like brake pads. Check your front tires, there condition might give a mechanic an idea of how the car has been treated.